Banjo head



Dec. 10, 1929.

w. Ll LANGE BANJO 'HEAD Filed May .4, 1926 Patented Dec. 10, 1929 UNITEDSTATES' inarnla'r loFrIcE WILLInivI` L. LANGE, orl NEW YORK, N. Y;

BANJO HEAD Application inea May 4, 192e. serial No. 106,669.

My present invention relates to an improvement 1n musical instruments,and more especially relates to banjos,` and has for its principal objectan-improvement in the structural features of the banjo bodyprper.k

One of the featuresof the present invention is themaking of the body ofthebanjo consisting of the rim, the head and a resonator attached to therim all of wood andpermanently jointed together.-

A uother feature of the inventiony relates to the manner in which theresonator is constructed and the means whereby the musical resonance ofthe instrument is conducted from the interior of theinstrument to theatmosphere and is controlled in the direction of its emission. i

Another feature is the: utilizationV of a wooden head, constituting asounding board,l

. as a substitute for the vellum heretofore used,

and the means for supportingthe wooden head and sustaining the strain orvstress of the strings. 1

An important advantage of my construction is the use of an all'wood bodywhereby the musical qualities of the banjo are increased and thecharacteristic tone of the familiar type of banjo is obviated.

Other objects ofthe invention will appear as the description proceeds,and while herein details of the invent-ion are described they inventionis not limited to these, since many and various changes, be madewithoutH departing from the spiritV of the invention or` exceeding thescope of the appended claims.. Referring to the accompanying drawingspFig. 1 is a side elevationof my'device in fragmentary section a portionof which.

is taken on the line 2-2 of Fig..2

Fig. 2 is a plan view, j Fig. 3 is a sectional view of a modified form,y j l Fig. 4 is asectionon the line 4 4 of Fig. 1, andVv Fig. 5vis afragmentary sectional view of' the resonator shown in Fig. v1.

Similar reference characters denote simivlar parts throughouttheseveralviews.

The present banjo is of allwood construction `as relates to theinstrumental( orr4 body portion and comprises the rim 1 having thereonthe outwardly convexed head 2 which on its under side at itscircumferential 1nargin bears on t-he top of the rim 1 and ispermanently secured thereto as by gluing. The head 2 has on its underside the supporting cross-pieces 3 curved on their top edges to conformto the concavity of the under side of the head 2and which'are cutaway attheir ends 4 for engagement with insets 5 at the top of the rim, thecross-pieces 3 being reduced in thickness towards their bottom edges asshown in Fig. 4 for conducing toy the resonant quality.

The resonator R is arranged at the bottom of the rim 1 and consistsofthe outer annular wall 65the outwardly convened back 7 and the innerannular `wall 8, all of wood and` permanently secured together as bygluing. The outer wall 6 is spaced away laterally from the bottom end ofthe rim land is secured theretoby the top piece or facing 9 whichvengages at its inner marginal portion the rabbetflO ofthe rim. The toppiece 9 is providedwith the series of sound emitting ing formed betweenthe outer and inner annular walls 6 and 8. The inner wall 8 is providedwith the series of openings 13 communicating between the interior of thebanjo and the resonating chamber 12. lThe strings 14 are ,stretched'overthe head 2 in the usual manner, being supported by the bridge 15 whichpreferably is placed over or near one ofthe cross-pieces 3, the crosspiece 3 thus supporting the head against the pressure of the strings onthe bridge and head when the strings are under tension.

Referring to Fig. 3, the inner annular wall of the modified form ofresonator consists of a series of spaced legs 16 formed on the bottom ofthe rim 1 and bearing attheir bottom ends on the back 7 and havingbetween the legs the openings 17 which provide communication between theinterior of the banjo and the resonating chamber 12.

In use of the banjo the sound waves from the interior of the instrumentpass through the openings 13 vor 127 as the case may be into theresonating chamber l2 and are emitted through the openings ll to theatmosphere in direction away from the player and away from his body andtowards the hearers, the rim, head and resonator all being ot wood andjoined together to provide a banjo body of permanently oined partshaving the resonance peculiar to instruments of all wood parts and free.from the tone characteristics ofthe familiar type ol' banjos.

l/Vhat l claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

l. ln a stringed musical instrument, in comoination, a rim, a head onone end of said rim, and a resonator on the opposite end of the rim,said resonator including an outer side wall disposed in a plane parallelto and outwardly ot the plane ot the rim and an inner side wall parallelto the outer side wall and spaced away inwardly from the outer side walland providing a resonating chamber between said walls, and a soundingboard, said sounding board providing bottom closure for said chamber andbottom closure for the space enclosed by said inner side wall, saidspace communicating with the interior space of the rim, said inner sidewall having means for passage of sound into the resonating chamber fromsaid interior space of the rim and from said space enclosed by saidinner side wall.

2. In a stringed musical instrument, in con'ibination, rim, a head onone end of said rim, and a resonator on the opposite end of the. rim,said resonator including an outer side wall disposed in 'a planeparallel to and outwardlv ot' the plane of the rim and an inn er sidewall parallel to the outer side wall and spaced away inwardly from theouter side wall and providing a resonating chamber between d walls, anda sounding board, said soun@ ng board providing bottom clo- .ire forsaid chamber and bottom closure for the space enclosed by said innerside wall, said space con'imunieating with. the interior space oi therim, said inner side wall having means lor passage olr sound into theresonating chamber from said interior space of the rim and from saidspace enclosed by said inner side wall, said rim, head, outer and innerside walls and sounding board being of t-he same resonating material.

In a stringed musical instrument, in con'ibination, a rim, a head on oneend of said rim, and a resonator on the opposite end oi the rim, saidresonator including an outer side wall disposed in a plane parallel toand outwardly of the plane of the rim and an inner side wall parallel tothe outer side wall and spaced away inwardly from the outer side walland providing a resonating chamber between said walls, a top closurewith openings therefor for passage of sound from said chamber, and asounding board, said sounding board providing bottom closure for saidchamber and bottom closure for the space enclosed by said inner sidewall, said space communicating with the interior space of the rim, saidinner side wall having openings therein for passage of sound into theresonating chamber from said interior space ot the rim and from saidspace enclosed by said inner side wall.

4. In a stringed musical instrument, in combination, a rim, a head onone end of said rim, and a resonator on the opposite end et the rim,said resonator including an outer side wall 4disposed in a planeparallel to and outwardly ot the plane of the rim and an inner side wallparallel to the outer side wall and spaced away inwardly from the outersine wall and providing a resonating chamber between said walls, and asounding board, said sounding` board providing bottom closure for saidchamber and bottom closure for the space enclosed by said inner sidewall, said space communicating with the interior space of the rim, saidinner side wall having openings therein lor passage of sound into theresonating chamber from said interior space of the rim and from saidspace enclosed by the inner side wall, said head being outwardlyconvened and said sounding board being outwardly conveXed in directionopposite to the convexity of the head.

5. In a stringed musical instrument, in combination, an annular rim, acircular head on one end of said rim, and a resonator on the oppositeend oit the rim, said resonator including an annular outer side walldisposed in a plane parallel to and outwardly of the plane of the rimand an annular inner side wall parallel to the outer side wall andspaced away inwardly from the outer side wall and providing an annularresonatiug chamber between said walls, and a circular sounding board,said sounding board provi ding bottom clos re for said chamber andbottom closure for the space enclosed by said inner side wall, saidspace con'iaiunicating with the interior space'o'i" the rim` said innerside wall having openings therein for passage ot sound into theresonating chamber from said interior space of the rim and from saidspace enclosed by the inner side wall, said head having a convexitywhich is the same arc of a circle from the center of the head to allpoints on the circnm'ferei'ice of the head, said sounding board having aconveXity in direction opposite to the conveiiity of the head and whichis the same arc of a circle from the centerof the sounding board to allpoints on the circumference thereof.

6. In a stringed musical instrument,y in combination, a rim, a headsecured at vits margin to one endof said rim, an outer side walldisposed in a plane parallel to and outwardly of thev outer side of therim and supported by the end of the rim opposite to the irst mentionedend, an inner side wall disposed parallel to the plane of the outer sidewall inwardly ofk the outer side wall and supported by the same end ofthe rim that supports the outer side wall and forming with the outerside wall a resonating chamber, said inner side wall having openingstherethrough for passage of sound from the interior chamber space of theinstrument into the resonating chamber, and a sounding board providingbottom-closure for the resonating chamber and `back closure for theinterior chamber space of the instrument.

7. In a stringed musical instrument, in combination, a rim, a headsecured at its margin to one end of said rim, an outer side walldisposed in a pla-ne parallel to and outwardly of the outer side of therim, an inner side wall disposed parallel to the plane of the outer sidewall inwardly of the outer side wall and forming with the outer sidewall a resonating chamber, closure means for the top ofthe lresonatingchamber and serving to support said outer and inner side walls on theendvof the rim opposite the first mentioned end, said top closure meanshaving openings therethrough for passage of sound from the resonatingchamber, said inner side wall having openings therethrough for passageof sound from the interior chamber space of the instrument into theresonating chamber, anda sounding board providing bottom closure for theresonating chamber and back closure for the interior chamber space ofthe instrument.

8. In a stringed musical instrument, in combination, a rim, a pair ofsupports spaced apart and disposed transversely of the rim relative tothe line of the strings of the instrument and secured at their ends onthe rim, and a head secured at its margin on the rim and bearing at itsunder surface on said supports and supported thereby inwardly of itsmargin in the longitudinal line of the supports, said rim, head andsupports being composed of the same resonating material.

9. In a stringed musical instrument, in combination, a rim, a'pair ofsupports spaced apart and disposed transversely of the rim relative tothe line of the strings of the instrument and `secured at their ends onthe rim, a head secured at its margin on the rim yand bearing at itsunder surface on said supports and supported thereby inwardl; of itsmargin in the longitudinal line of t e supports, and a bridge disposedon the outer surface of said head in the longitudinal line of one ofsaid su ports whereby said support reinforces the iiead for sustainingthe pressure of the strings on the bridge, said rim,

head and supports being composed of the same resonating material.

10. In a stringed musical instrument, in combination, a rim, a pair ofsupports spaced apart and disposed transversely of the rim relative tothe line of the strings of the instrument and secured at their ends onthe rim, and a head secured at its margin on the rim and bearing at itsunder surface on said supports and supported thereby inwardlyy of itsmargin in the longitudinal line of the supports, said head beingoutwardly convexed and said supports being curved on their headsupporting edges for conforming to the concavity of the` head on itsside opposite said conve'Xity.

11. In a stringed musical instrument, in combination, a rim, having arabbetv on the inner side of one of its ends, a pair of supports spacedapart and disposed transversely of the rim relative to the line fof thestrings of the instrument and secured at their ends on said rabbet, ahead secured at its margin on the rim and bearing at its under surfaceon and secured to said supports and supported thereby inwardly of itsmargin in the longitudinal line of the supports, said head beingoutwardly convexed and said supports being curved on their headsupporting edges for conforming to the concavity of the head on its sideopposite said conveXity, and a bridge exposed on the outer surface ofsaid head in the longitudinal line of one of said supports whereby saidsupport reinforces the lhead from sustaining the pressure of the stringson the bridge.

12. In a stringed musical instrument, in

combination, a rim, a head on one end of said rim, an annular wallconcentric with said rim, an annular member provided with openings incontact with said rim and wall, a second annular wall provided withapertures concentric with said first wall, and a back member in contactwith said first and second walls.

13.' In a stringed musical instrument, as defined in claim 12, said headand back member being outwardly convexed in opposite directions.

Signed at New York in the county of New York and State of New York this3rd day of May n.1). 1926.

y WILLIAM L. LANGE.

